COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mississippi State soccer finished its Southeastern Conference regular season campaign a perfect 10-0 after a 2-1 win at South Carolina on Wednesday. Sensational goals from Hannah Johnson and Kennedy Husbands secured the second-half comeback for the Bulldogs and a 16-1 finish to a historic regular season.
The Bulldogs conceded just the fourth goal of the season after Cat Berry beat goalkeeper Maddy Anderson in the 10th minute of the match, but MSU’s No. 1 made three saves to keep the Gamecocks at bay, and a lockdown defensive performance in the second half allowed no shots from the hosts.
Johnson’s strike came just after the hour mark, her second of the season, and marked the turn of the tide in the game. The Bulldogs peppered South Carolina with six shots in the second half, and got in front with an audacious attempt from Husbands. She received the ball on the right wing before firing a lofted ball towards the back post. The ball had enough velocity to catch the keeper off guard, dipping at the perfect moment to evade her glove and rattle in.
Anderson and Husbands were recognized for their performances, with the latter earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Anderson set a program record with her third SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor this season.
The result wraps up the top SEC seed for the Bulldogs heading into the conference tournament next week. MSU awaits the winner of Kentucky and Tennessee, with that match taking place at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in Pensacola, Fla. The match will air on SEC Network.
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